A place where the elders, ministers, and ministry leaders of the Southeastern Church of Christ can share how God is working in their lives as they strive to serve the church that He has placed in their care.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

On August 6th, Carla and I celebrated
our 30th anniversary. Thirty years may not be a huge milestone, but it is long
enough that I had a number of people comment about how rare it is today for
couples to stay together so long. It
may be rare today for a couple to stay together, but it is still the ideal, and
respected when accomplished. There is a
proverb that Solomon wrote that I have been chewing on for about twenty five
years. It is a proverb that speaks about how much a family suffers when the
ideal arrangement of one man one woman for life is not adhered to. This Proverb
has meant a lot to me because I have always tried to interpret it from the life
experience of the writer concerning things he did, and the things he
experienced growing up in a very broken and dysfunctional home. Remember that
Solomon's Father, David was a great King, but his family life was broken
primarily because of David's sin, and his many wives. I think it worth
mentioning that the scriptures tell us in 1 Samuel 18:20 that Michal, David's
first wife was in love with David. I do not know anywhere else in the bible
where a woman's love for a man is recorded, but tragically they never lived as
a married couple in love. Listen now to what the proverb says: Proverbs 5:15-18
(NIV)

15 Drink
water from your own cistern, running
water from your own well. 16 Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public
squares? 17 Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. 18 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your
youth.

I have read this proverb many times
over the years and I know that the context is about avoiding sexual sins, but
when I read it, I detect an emotion of regret that is heavy on the authors
mind when he penned this. I think it is fair to ask: where is the wife of King Solomon's
youth? 1 kings 11-3 tells us that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and
these women turned the heart of Solomon after other gods. There is a saying
"it's good to be the King," but a life of excess also leads to a life
of regrets. King Solomon knew how his father's life ended. The details of King David's
days are described in 1 kings chapter 1. David had a entourage of servants and
advisors to care for him, but apparently there was no family around to care for
any of his intimate needs. David's servants found a beautiful girl to attend to
the King, but this was a futile gesture. Where was Bathsheba, Solomon's mother? The
text tells us she was alive and well. She was busy making sure that her son got
the throne over any of Solomon's step-brothers.

What does all this say about a happy
marriage? Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well
is speaking about being happy with your wife and enjoying each other all of
your days. Yes there are things that are private and only shared between man
and wife. The strong assertion is that marital bliss is to be private and
yours, alone.

All young married couples should
read this proverb, because its lesson is to be happy now and this will give you
happiness later, yes much later. May your fountain be blessed, and may you
rejoice in the wife of your youth. Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't
emphasize that my point is that I am fortunate to still be rejoicing in the
wife of my youth whom I am still in love with, more and more with each passing
day.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

When Enoch had lived
65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with
God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was
no more, because God took him away.Genesis
5:21-24

The verse above has always intrigued me.It strums on my curiosity strings.How cool must that have been?What would it be like to actually ‘walk with God’?What is it like when God just takes a person
away?Where exactly did Enoch go?

To walk WITH God.

Wouldn’t that be cool?

Let’s say you’re on the
beach…strolling the warm sands with the breeze in your hair…alone…thinking of
life and love; the future and the past…suddenly, there at your side…you glance
over…it’s God.

Maybe you’re hiking a mountain trail…sweat streaking down the
sides of your face…your thighs are on fire from the exertion…you’re bent
forward…leaning into the climb…contemplating the meaning of your life…why are
you here?...what are you supposed to be doing?...you glance up…just ahead…there’s
God.

Wouldn’t it be cool?Wouldn’t it be awesome?

Apparently Enoch did just that.

It seems that God enjoyed that relationship so much that one
day he just looked at Enoch and said:“Come
WITH me.”

Away they went.Away
they still are.Enoch is still walking…WITH
God.

I think from my youngest days I’ve always wanted to be close
to God.I’ve always wanted to talk to
God.I can remember looking up into the
sky, watching the clouds roll over my head, and asking God to open up
the heavens so I could see Him.

Have you ever felt that way?

Think back to your days of innocence, those days before the messes
of life cluttered your heart and your mind.Remember when you simply yearned for the wonders of God.In those days, it almost seemed possible…right?…maybe
He would just sit on the other end of the teeter totter and bounce up and down
with you.Maybe.

But, isn’t that the promise we have?

Isn’t that what we have to look forward to?

A future WITH God.A home
with the Creator.An easy meander down
the Main Street of the New Jerusalem next to our Friend.Do we believe that is really in our future?

“Do not let your hearts
be troubled.You believe in God; believe
also in me.My Father’s house has many
rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to
prepare a place for you?And If I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be WITH me that you
also may be where I am.You know the way
to the place where I am going.”John
14:1-4

The way?Which way?

THE way. The WAY!

“I am the way and the truth and the
life.No one comes to the Father except
through me.If you really know me, you
will know my Father as well.”John
14:6-7

All of history has been orchestrated by God in order to give
us a path…a road…a way to lead us to be WITH Him.That path is found in Jesus…the Christ…the
Savior…the Way.

FAITHFULNESS.

…Enoch walked
faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.Genesis 5:22

Enoch walked “faithfully” with God here on earth, so God
took him.If we are faithful friends
here…we will be brought in faith to be friends there.

Here’s the thing…to WALK faithfully means to be doing
faithful things.It is an active
faith.You may not be able to walk
perfectly, but you must walk faithfully….and faithfully walk.

“All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you.And surely I am WITH you always, to the very end of the age.”Matthew 28:18b-20

I’d love to be out on my bike for a ride in the country some
Saturday morning…the sun on my shoulders…the wind at my back…then, have another
rider pedal up beside me…and as I look over, I realize…it’s God!Oh man!How incredible.I really cannot
describe the feelings that would explode in my heart and mind!But, in reality, HE is WITH me…and you…already.If we are walking faithfully in Christ, he is
at our side…surely, and to the end of the
age.

I don’t know all the intricacies of walking WITH God.The men of Southeastern are going to explore
those things in our upcoming Men’s Advance in September, but in reality, we
will always be finding more ways…more trails…more country roads…more avenues…more
walks of life…where we can be WITH God.When we are at work…when we are in the car…when we are at a restaurant…when
we are alone…when we are in a crowd…on Sunday morning…on Friday night.

We are never alone…when we are With God.

MEN:I
encourage you to sign up for and participate in the upcoming Men’s Advance to
be held on September 27-28, 2013 at the Spring Hill Camp in Seymour,
Indiana.This will be a great
opportunity to better understand what it means to be WITH GOD.The cost is $30.Sign up in the foyer, or call the church
office and ask them to put your name on the list.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Hey, wait a minute; isn’t
this supposed to be a write-up for our church?Not about golf!You’re right; and
no, I haven’t sent this article to the wrong place.I’ll explain.

First,
I want to recommend a book, Golf’s Sacred Journey – by David Cook, PhD – Sports Psychologist.It came out in 2006 and has since been made
into a movie starring Robert Duvall - the movie’s title was changed to, “Seven
Days In Utopia”.The book and movie are
about golf, yes; but oh so much more.It
uses golf as a springboard to teaching about life principles – Christian
principles.These are woven into the
plot all throughout.I recommend it
strongly.You’ll be glad you read the
book or saw the movie.

How
many of you play golf – or have attempted to play golf in the past?Or are you like one of my daughters who
thinks golf is as exciting as “watching grass grow”.But anyway, you all know what the game
is.I’m here to tell you that it’s the most difficult game in
the world!“Now, wait a minute Frank, no way!”“All you have to do is hit a stationary ball and get it into a
hole.”My answer to that is, “Try
it.”The variables
are infinite – like they are in life. But more about that
later.

You
may still be thinking, “That’s fine, but how does this relate to me?”I’ll list a few of the areas presented in the
book and how they relate to a living a Christian life:

·Learning:We should be constantly learning!Never stop.Age is not a factor in this.

·Teaching:We as Christians should always be looking to
teach others – by word and example and more.The book depicts Robert Duvall as the teacher or mentor [a golf guru]
for his younger pupil.Certainly we
adult Christians should look to become teachers and mentors [a guru, if you
will] for those with whom we have influence – those younger, the same age, or
older.

·Mistakes:Golf played by the very best [or worst] is a
game of mistakes [bad shots, etc.] and overcoming them.Now isn’t this an analogy of our very lives!?
- making mistakes or bad decisions and
prayerfully, painstakingly, and actively overcoming them. Our Christian lives
should be about forgiving, repentance, rebounding, recovery, resilience,
perseverance, and more.[These words and
traits just roll off the keyboard but are so very difficult in our real
lives.Let us all pray regularly
regarding our areas of weakness and enlist the help of other Christians.]

·Consistency:Every golfer [no matter what their level of
play] would just love to
play with consistency.Our lives as
Christians should also be ones of consistency – we should be viewed the same in
the church building, our car, at home, at work, on the golf course, etc.Are you?

·Variables:I mentioned this above.Everyone reading this can quickly enumerate
many variables in your lives in just the last month.Golf basically has infinite variables
[weather conditions, whether the ball is sitting up on the grass or down in the
weeds, distance from the hole, hitting up hill or down hill, on and on – I
won’t bore you anymore].Golf and life
are about overcoming variables – adjusting, having flexibility, not being
stymied by unexpected events or changes, and then moving on with your very
best.

·Enjoy the journey:Golf is a game.Enjoy it!Enjoy being in God’s wonderful creation, being with friends, etc.Look beyond your mistakes and bad shots.Life is not a game of course, but the other
principles hold true.Pray for the
qualities mentioned; pray to remain positive – to be a mentor – to finish well.

=========================================================

BIBLICAL
PRINCIPLES:

·Hebrews 13:8-Jesus showed CONSISTENCY
– He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

·I Cor. 9:22 – Paul showed FLEXIBILITY – He became all things to all men……

·Hebrews 5:12 - We are told we should be TEACHERS

·Romans 2:7; James 1:12 – PERSEVERANCE.There are many scriptures on “perseverance”; therefore, God knew of our
human difficulty in sustaining, maintaining, persevering.Pray to enlist God’s help in your life in
order to persevere.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

This past Sunday was a special night for the
Youthreach.Each year on the first “Sunday
Night Live” of August we take an evening and say farewell to the seniors who
have been engaged in the youth ministry.Let me just take a second and really brag on this year’s group!Jordan, Zach, Anna, and Sharee have been true
leaders in the youth ministry at Southeastern by setting examples for our group
through multiple ways. They’ve taught classes, led small groups, invited
friends, worked hard when we are serving, stepped up to greet visitors, written
and performed songs, led singing, organized youth events, served as student
interns, and challenged younger kids in the group to mature when they needed a
“nudge” and encouraged those same teens when they’ve done well.The list of what they’ve meant to our group could
go on and can’t just be judged by what they did but who they are.In fact, Sunday night I learned things that
some of these teens have done that I wasn’t even aware as I listened to the
teens share stories with each other.It
brought me joy to be reminded how this group has lived out their faith.

However, it was also a little bitter sweet.After Zach and Jordan head off for college (Good
luck Lipscomb and York, you don’t know what’s headed your way!), I will only
have one student who was in the Teen Center when I started here 6 years
ago.And that’s just because Tim snuck
in some as a 6th grader!Wow,
a complete turnover in our group.In
youth ministry it happens every 6-7 years, but it still hits you as a minister
to have a new group.Even without losing
the whole group each year, it’s a crazy part of youth ministry to realize that
each year our group will look just a little different as leaders that you’ve
worked with and seen grow will be heading off to continue their growth as young
Christians.However, it is also a
reminder of just how powerful, resourceful, and creative God is!A few years ago someone told me they heard
the youth ministry was really struggling and lots of people had left.I scratched my head and asked them who they
were talking about.He proceeded to name
the teens who had just graduated and acted as if we couldn’t possibly have
recovered from those loses.I said,
“well, we are having more kids coming right now than any time last year.And, we did lose some really good leaders, but
others were stepping up to take on more responsibility.”That conversation took place in
September.We went on to have one of the
strongest years in ministry that I can remember in a long time.New leaders stepped up.New kids were introduced to the group.I was able to remind this person that we shouldn’t
underestimate what God can do with people.Did we miss the individuals who had left?Absolutely!Were we going to sit around and sulk because we lost a group of leaders?Absolutely not!Why? Because God is bigger than any one
individual or group of people!So, we
kept on going and proceeded to see God grow up some teens in a powerful way.

Part of being in the body of Christ is realizing that God
wants to use all the parts to reveal His glory on earth and is looking for
those who will jump on board and follow Him!He sees the promise and ability in people before we do.You remember that group of kids at the start
of this writing?In addition to the
really good things they’ve done, there are some things they aren’t real proud
of.And they shouldn’t be.Want an example?Last year, Sharee was…Just kidding!But, it’s in our recognition of our need for God’s grace that we open
ourselves up to be redeemed instruments in this wonderful organism called the
church.Read 2 Corinthians 5:11-21
sometime.Think about the promises and
challenges of that passage.God sent
Jesus so that we could have reconciliation with God despite our sin.He also goes on to remind us that it’s not
just in order to be saved and get to Heaven, but so that we could be part of
the Kingdom’s work here.While I see
that process in youth ministry as a snapshot of just a few years for most of
our teens, it is a life-long calling for us as God’s ambassadors.Let us follow our calling to love God, grow
in our faith, and bring His love to the world as a body of believers living
redeemed lives!Not because we are so
good that God can’t do it without us, but because we are so thankful that he
made us whole that we can’t help but share His message of Goodness!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Self-examination is hard depressing work.However, hard work is always essential to spiritual improvement.Neither diet nor exercise are fun but the result is worth the effort.James contrasts the effective hearer who is a doer of God’s Word with the man who looks into a mirror and immediately forgets what he saw.This forgetful man’s hearing is worthless for it does not lead to a change in his life.Change requires that I don’t just glace at a mirror but that I look “intently at the perfect law” … and that I “abide by it.”(James 1:25).

Recently some staring intently into the perfect law led me to two questions.Am I pleasant?Am I kind?

Pleasant?

Ten years ago my friend Robert Welch passed from this life into the next one.He lived a long, full life serving as a gospel preacher.At his funeral his son-in-law observed:

I thought in my first encounters with Bob, even before I was a Christian that he was pleasant.I understand that that’s not considered a great virtue in the “dog-eat-dog” world of today, but I thought he was pleasant.One of Solomon’s proverbs says, “Pleasant words are like a honey-comb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”Usually when we read from Proverbs 16 we focus on pleasant words, but it occurred to me that if words show the heart then pleasant words come from a pleasant man.

With Bob, I thought that there was no particular edge to his words.We have all known men and women both, who in conversation with them, you are always aware that there was some sort of competition going on and someone was trying to get an edge or keep an edge.I never felt that way around him, there was no particular edge to his words, there was no particular warning that was necessary before going to see him, where someone had to say, “Watch out, he’s in one of his moods today.”I never heard that said or felt it one time in the number of years that I knew him.Quite simply … I just thought he was easy to be with and enjoyed it.

I am from a very competitive family of people who hate to lose.As a kid my father once told me, “Son, show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.”I am also from a family of preachers who liked to debate and argue.Sarcasm came naturally.Am I pleasant?Well I am better described as intense, focused, goal-oriented.Pleasant … I don’t think that is generally what I see in looking into the mirror of God’s Word.I can be pleasant but smart might better describe me.This reminds me of Jimmy Stewart’s great movie, “Harvey” where as Elwood P. Dowd he said, “Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be' - she always called me Elwood - 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.”

Kind?

Peter tells us that we are to add “brotherly kindness” to our character as Christians.Paul calls kindness a fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22).Dorcas is described as “abounding with deeds of kindness.”(Acts 9:36).Solomon, in describing wisdom, states, “the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” (Prov. 31:26).Micah advises us that the Lord requires us to “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.”(Micah 6:8).

Generosity is not the same thing as kindness.You can be generous and yet not be kind.Kindness and humility walk hand in hand.If my speech is arrogant or condescending it is not kind, even if I am right.The goal of a Christian’s speech is to teach not win an argument.

Kindness in speech is a challenge.Old habits die hard and are difficult to change.That said, the only way to be pleasant and kind is to look intently into the Word of God, to count others as better than yourself and to do deeds of kindness.This is what Jesus did and it is what I must do too if I’d be his disciple and servant.